


Middle C

by emilieee



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrienette April, F/M, Fluff, Miraculous Ladybug - Freeform, adrienette - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:28:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23623150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilieee/pseuds/emilieee
Summary: After another one of Alya’s set-ups lands Marinette alone with Adrien, she tries to defuse the tension by learning piano from him.(Does it go well? Debatably, no.)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 5
Kudos: 120





	Middle C

Marinette wasn’t sure how she ended up in Adrien’s room, alone, but her mind was functioning just enough to figure out that Alya and Nino had set her up. 

Which, while she appreciated it, she wasn’t ready for. 

Adrien had disappeared from his room to bring up snacks and drinks, and it left her standing inside alone in his room trying to gather her bearings. And his room was huge—scarily big, in fact—and she felt completely out of place standing in it. 

“Tikki,” Marinette hissed, tapping her purse. “Tikki, _help!”_

Her kwami poked her head through the top. “Nope!” she chirped. “You’re on your own here.” 

Marinette forced her purse open. “Don’t go away,” she pleaded. “What do I do? What do I say? Maybe I should leave. Maybe I can jump out the window. What if I break something? What if I burn the house down? What if Adrien realizes that I’m hopelessly in love with him and then rejects me and then he _hates me_ and then—” 

The door swung open as Adrien slipped inside. “Hey,” he called. “I brought cookies and juice, but if you—are you okay?” 

Marinette nearly threw her purse across his room. “Fine!” she nearly shrieked. “Uh, fine.” 

He gave her a small smile before setting down the food on the table. “Do you want to start the homework now?” he asked, and Marinette forced herself to look at his eyes when he spoke. Beautiful, green eyes which she could positively fall into… 

“Marinette?” 

She nearly flailed. He called her name. In a questioning way. Which meant she would have to say something, but Marinette couldn’t think of anything to say, and—

Her eyes landed on the grand piano that lay in the middle of the room. Then she blurted, “Do you play piano?” 

Adrien’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Do you?” 

“N-not really,” she stammered before steeling herself. She barrelled on and hoped her voice wasn’t shaking. “My parents tried making me take piano lessons when I was younger, but I had no patience for sitting in front of the piano, and they soon figured I was a lost cause.” 

Then Adrien smiled at her in a way that made Marinette positively certain her heart was going to melt right out of her chest. “I’ll teach you,” he exclaimed so enthusiastically that she couldn’t possibly say no (not that Marinette could say _no_ to Adrien Agreste in the first place). “Come on! It’ll be fun.” 

Approximately thirty seconds later, Marinette found herself sitting next to Adrien on the piano bench, staring at the instrument she had abandoned many years before. “How much do you remember from your lessons?” he asked her. 

Marinette, who was trying her hardest to make sure she didn’t explode sitting so close to him, took a couple seconds to process his words. She squinted at the piano. “That’s… Middle C?” she asked, pointing hesitantly at a note. 

A pause. Then Adrien burst out laughing. “That’s E.” 

Her face had probably gone from red to purple. Then, she thought that at least she’d made him laugh, even if he were laughing at her. Even if his laughter made her lose all mental capacity for rationality.

When Adrien had finally gotten himself under control, he turned to look at her again. _So close,_ Marinette’s treacherous, addled brain thought. _His face is so close._ “Sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t mean to laugh at you. That was rude of me. But hey! At least you remember that there _is_ a middle C?” 

“It’s okay,” she reassured. “It’s safe to say I practically don’t know anything.” 

Adrien’s hand closed around her own, and Marinette held her breath until her lungs felt like they were going to burst. Gently, he set her thumb down on a key. “That’s middle C,” he explained, voice right against her ear. Marinette could feel his breath ghosting over her neck. Hand practically covering hers, he pressed down on her index finger. “D.” Middle finger. “E.” 

By the time he had finished all the way back to C, Marinette barely remembered anything he had told her. She did manage to find middle C again, this time correctly, and Adrien gave her a smile so warm that it would have melted ice. “Good,” he praised. “All of these notes are written in musical notation on—wait, let me find sheet music.” 

Marinette waited beside Adrien as he fumbled with his books. Her face finally began to cool down so at least she wouldn’t look like a tomato, and now that she was (slightly) more accustomed to sitting next to him, it wasn’t nearly as intimidating as she felt in the beginning. Adrien smelled nice—she couldn’t place _what_ he smelled like, but it was almost soothing in a way. Not overpowering, but… 

“Here!” Adrien exclaimed, and Marinette jolted out of her reverie as he placed a piece of paper on the stand. “All of these notes correspond to something on here.” 

Marinette stared at the sheet. It looked like some sort of spell to summon a demon. “Woah,” she managed. “I’m a quick study, but not _that_ quick.” 

Adrien burst out laughing again. “I’m not going to teach you to play this. It’s just an example.” 

“Can you?” she asked. 

“Can I?” 

Blood rushed to her face, but Marinette refused to back down. Not this time. “Can you play it?” 

Adrien’s eyes widened just a bit, mouth forming an _O._ Then the surprise disappeared from his face, replaced by the same, warm smile. “Anything for you, princess,” he said. 

_Princess?_ Marinette’s own surprise rose. There was something about the way he said it—something very familiar—that made her pause. Chat Noir called her _princess._ Given his penchant for nicknames, it wasn’t surprising, but to hear it from Adrien… 

Before Marinette could think much more about it, the first note sounded, and Marinette jerked from her thoughts to look at Adrien. 

His fingers flowed across the keys. It wasn’t just short, disconnected notes like it had been when Marinette had pressed down on them—this was _music_ in the rawest form, dancing from his fingertips and filling the air all around her. She could almost hear Adrien Agreste in the music—quiet, sweet Adrien who smiled like the sun—and Marinette leaned her head back and smiled as well. 

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on tumblr at e-milieeee.tumblr.com!


End file.
